Red Plume — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

54 RED PLUME. bringing with them the body of the warrior whom Eben had fatally harpooned. But they had seen nothing of the Dela- ware. This discovery again excited the angry passions of the Blackfeet, who turned furiously upon the Yankee, and accused him of haying slain their comrade. Eben stoutly denied the charge, saying that his mission was to cure, and not to kill, and assured them that he could soon inform them, by the aid of his wonderful “ medicine,’ who had.done the deed. Permission being accorded to him, he solemnly laid his harpoon upon the corpse, knelt down, and repeated another mixture of gibberish, gazing intently at the point of the weapon, and making various outlandish gestures. Then he rose, and gaye the ,interpreter an exact description of the Black Beaver. 3 “A Delaware! A sneaking dog ofa Delawaré! A thiev- ing, lying, white-hearted. Delaware!” exclaimed his captors, as he described the dress and paint of his Jate comrade. “And another”—Eben gave them to understand. He then proceeded —there might have been some malice in his heart—to describe, as accurately as he could, the dress and appearance of Frank Steele. The savages instantly re- cognized their white prisoner, and a runner was. dispatched, to ascertain whether he had made his escape. When the runner returned, and reported that Steele had cut the thongs with which he was tied, and was nowhere to be found, their confidence in the Yankee and his extraordinary “ medicine ” was greatly increased, and his stock rose rapidly in the Black- feet market, An elderly warrior, who acted as spokesman of the group, then suggested that, as the white man knew so much, and possessed such a wonderful talisman, he might be able to tell them who had murdered their chief, Nip-muck-we. Eben professed himself able to do so, provided he could see the body. : He was quickly led down to the village, being permitted to carry his magical weapon, which the Indians had dubbed the Big Medicine Arrow, and was placed by the side of the litter on which the body of the chief was lying. Removing the. blanket, he laid his harpoom on the corpse, and went through comicbooks.com